iluvshinjimina - No problems! Just glad you're enjoying the story. Anyway, that's exactly why Rosaline's a bitch. She's kind of jealous of Hermia, not that she'd admit it, because they're in similar situations but Hermia's dad took her in and gave her all the opportunities Rosaline wanted but Hermia doesn't care for. And that's exactly what I intended with Tyson and Roxanne!
Oreoskidz - That sucks! I'm like Hermia, not a big fan of make-up. I'm way more into jewellery! I like dresses, but I don't go out of my way to be 'trendy' and 'young' and 'fashionable' like the other girls.
So. Rosaline and Tybalt's love story is finished. It's Romeo and Juliet time! Also, you will see that Gabriel is a big fan of Madonna. So am I. And also, Gabriel's friends Juno, Ceres and Iris may have girl names, but they are guys. I named them after the goddesses in The Tempest when I realised Juno was a girl's name, not gender neutral, and that that was the name of one of the goddesses!
Two months later...
The heat radiated down and oppressively slouched upon the streets of Verona, reflecting from every surface. It rose from the ground to bake the citizens of Verona as they tried to carry about their business. Angelo, Rosaline and Gabriel had all flopped at a table outside of a cafe, unable to move. Gabriel busied himself with a copy of Heat magazine, whereas Rosaline was helping Angelo with some paperwork.
"That's so clever how you worked it out" praised Angelo "Look, Gabriel, isn't she clever?"
"Whatever" grumbled Gabriel, peering up over his magazine. Rosaline glowed with praise.
"You'll do great at Bocconi"
"If I get accepted"
"You will be accepted. I will make sure of it"
"This is boring" muttered Gabriel.
"It's amazing to see someone so young and so driven" Angelo went on.
"Madonna is doing a new album" said Gabriel loudly.
"Be quiet, I don't want to hear you bang on about celebrities" instructed Angelo.
"She's not just any celebrity, she's Madonna! Madonna! The most amazing of the amazing, the Queen of Pop, the..." Gabriel trailed off. They weren't even listening. All Angelo ever seemed to do these days was spend time with Rosaline. She was now a fully fledged daddy's girl. They got on really well, were really similar, and Gabriel was pushed out of the picture. They talked about boring stupid things that Gabriel didn't care about, so it wasn't as if he could join in. Rosaline was becoming less interested in hearing about Gossip Boy, or discussing hair care and current fashions with him. After the fight and subsequent arrest, and Rosaline and Angelo's reconciliation, she appeared to have reinvented herself. No longer was she a goodie two shoes in the chastity club, she was much more of a Femme Fatale. Smart, intelligent, but beautiful and sexual at the same time. She'd returned to school, and brushed off any criticisms or whispers with cool, calculated responses. Her argument was that she said 'long-term commitment' rather than marriage and that she'd never believed in marriage much anyway. It was a smart argument. And with Tybalt by her side, Angelo behind her, and Gabriel occasionally prancing after, no one dared. She was Queen Bee, whether Hermia liked it or not.
The plan to steal Angelo's money was obviously off. A small part of Gabriel was disappointed. Livia had refused to have anything to do with Angelo, and she and Gabriel had began to get to know each other further. Yet Rosaline had had the cheek to tell him that part of the reason he and Angelo did not get on was because Gabriel wouldn't let Angelo care for him!
Sulkily, he pushed a strand of blond hair out of his face, watching as that pathetic excuse of a human being Benvolio Montague was, once again, being beaten up by Tybalt Capulet. Tybalt's mates Sam and Greg had started on Benvolio's friends Adam and Balthasar, Benvolio had tried to break it up, only then Tybalt barged onto the scene. The adults were getting involved. Lord Capulet was cursing and swearing, and Lord Montague was snapping back at him. That annoying peace charity 'The Watch' had got involved. Gabriel just watched Escalus break it up and yell at them, and then went back to his magazine. Tybalt swaggered over.
"Tibby! You look awful! What happened to you?" shrieked Rosaline.
"Benvolio was being his usual whiny self and annoying my mates" grunted Tybalt, sitting down next to her. Concerned, Rosaline straightened his dusty and ripped shirt as best she could.
"You're going to look bad for the party tonight, all scratched up and bruised"
"I don't care. It will make me look tough!" Tybalt thumped the table with a closed fist to prove a point. Angelo frowned at him and Gabriel gloated. That was the one thing Angelo and Rosaline didn't quite see eye to eye on. Her relationship with Tybalt. Apparently, Tybalt wasn't good enough for her. It made Gabriel giggle, really.
"So what are you going as, Gabriel?" asked Tybalt.
"I'm wearing drag"
Angelo tutted and shook his head "You're just asking for trouble, Gabriel. One of these days, you are going to get yourself beaten up"
"Oh, so it's people's fault if they get victimized?" snapped Gabriel "I think I'll tell that to an assualt victim's charity, and see how many votes you lose"
"That's not what I meant. Stop stirring up drama. It's pathetic attention-seeking"
"I am not an attention-seeker!" protested Gabriel. But the three ignored him. Instead, Gabriel began texting his girlfriend. If Angelo wouldn't pay him any attention, then he knew someone who would. At least he and Rose were getting on all right. Gabriel was, as he had always known, a much better boyfriend than Benvolio could have ever hoped to be. He was sensitive, didn't chew with his mouth open, and he didn't leave the toilet seat up.
"What did Escalus say to you about the fighting this time, Tybalt?" asked Angelo.
"Something about banishment and life imprisonment" complained the chav "What am I supposed to do now?"
"What about your schoolwork?" Gabriel remarked.
"School is finished, idiot. That's why we're having an end of term party at my uncle's. I gave you an invite with the details on it, unless you didn't notice. Hermia tried to invite the Montagues, but when we fought about it, my uncle made her compromise on only inviting Mercutio and his brother. I gave Peter a guest list and told him to go and round up people and put an invite up on Facebook. That should do it" replied Tybalt.
"Well, maybe you could take a shower and wash your teeth. It might make people want to come within five metres of you" goaded Gabriel.
"Shut up, you little..."
"Tibby, ignore him. He just wants a reaction. If you give him that, he's won. Same thing for the Montagues" soothed Rosaline.
"Whatever" both boys rolled their eyes.
A few hours later, Gabriel was just putting on the finishing touches to his Madonna outfit. He'd decided to wear it in honour of her new album being on the way. He couldn't wait to see who everyone had dressed up as. He knew Livia, his younger half-sister would be there. He also knew that Juno, Ceres and Iris would be there, as would Lavinia and the rest of his dance class.
Angelo snorted at his choice of costume on the way out the door, so Gabriel gave him the finger, and waltzed off. Funny how Angelo loved seeing his daughter aim for a career in such a male-dominated industry, yet laughed at his son for pursuing a career in a typically female-dominated industry. Hypocrite.
The Capulet Manor was packed. Teenagers teamed from the stairs, the corridors, almost everywhere you could look. Gabriel walked around with Rose on his arm proudly. His friends had welcomed her as his princess. That was certainly how he treated her. As a princess. Rose didn't care about the dancing, although she did get shocked when she saw him in a skirt for the first time the other day. And what he had screamed at some people who'd had the cheek to laugh at him.
"Gabriel, are you going to sing?" asked Juno.
"Oh, I don't know" Gabriel dismissed grandly.
"You must!" cried Ceres, clasping his hands together.
"He has an amazing voice" gushed Iris to Rose, with a hand gesture.
"Just one song, I suppose" Gabriel pretended to sigh reluctantly. The boys gasped in delight. Gabriel's mind flickered through songs, before deciding on his favourite.